Circular knitting machine



(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' 1?. Ai- NYE. CIRCULAR KNITTING momma; No. 556,514. y Y Patente'd Mar. 17, 1896.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. A. NYE. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 556,514 Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

WNW Leona (No Model.) V 3 SheetsSheet s.

' P. A. NYE.

- GIRGULAR KNITTING MAGHINE. I v v No. 556,514. 5 Patented Mar. 1'7, 1896.

wl iiillllllmuumI IIllIImlllIIlllllllllllllllzl ll V um "Hllllllllllllllllllmmfii lllllllllllll n [I "HIM ml i - (A, lllll nml 1 f k l j mil JIMWMIW "n" @5340) I J afi y? UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

FRANK A. NYE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NYE &

TREDICK, OF SAME PLACE.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,514, dated March 17, 1896. Application fil d June 11,1394. Serial No. 514,213. (No model.)

To all whom it may concerm, neath, showing the cams thereon. Fig. 4 is Be itknown that I, FRANK A. NYE, of Philaa view showing two forms of needles. delphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful tubular rotary cylinder provided with grooves 5 5 5 Improvement in Circular-Knitting Machines, to receive vertical needles 2, which are recipof which the following is a specification. rocated in the proper manner to form stitches My inventionhas reference to circulanknitby cams in the cam cylinder 35, engaging ting machines in which dial and cylinder their heels. I needles co-operate to form a tubular-ribbed 4representsarotaryhorizontal plate termed 60 IO fabric. s the dial, which is provided in its upper face The invention is directed more particularly with radial grooves containing horizontal neeto an arrangement of the cams and to a pedles 5, reciprocated by cams 6 on the under culiar manner of adjusting thesame, having face of a horizontal stationary plate 7, termed in view the production of a fabric bearing on the dial-plate. 65 I 5 its surface a polka-dot design, stripe, or a The dial is provided with needles of two combination of the two. different forms, the difference residing in the My invention is shown as applied to the lengths of their shanks, or, more properly dial of a machine of the form described in the speaking, in the relative lengths of the shanks patent to George E. Nye, No. 498,139, dated between their hooks and heels, as shown in 70 May 23, 1893, in which two forms of dial-nee Fig. 4, and they are reciprocated by two sedles are operated by two sets of dial-cams,this ries of camsan inner series for the needles arrangement admitting of the production of of one form and an outer series for the neetuck-stitches by any desired number of the dles of the other form. The cams are shown dial-needles and plain stitches by the remainin Fig. 3, the needles of one form being pro- 7 5 der. The invention is applicable, however, jected by the throw-out cams 12 to 19 and to the cylinder, as distinguished from the retracted by the draw-incams 12, 13, 1,4, dial, provided different sets of cams are used 15, 1G, 17, 18, and 19 of the inner series, to actuate different forms of needles. while the other needles are projected by the My invention comprises a series of successthrow-out cams 12 13, 14 15 16 17 18 80 o ively-operattng cams, adapted to be set in difand 19 and retracted by the drawin cams ferent positions relatively to each other to 12 13 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 of the cause certain of said cams to knit off and outer series. the remainder to tuck and to be reversed The machine is shown as provided with an as to their relative positions to knit off and inner and an outer series of eight sets of cams, 8 5 3 5 tuck alternately, the object being to lay yarn corresponding to the eightfeeds for laying the of different colors to the needles in such manyarn to the needles, but it will be understood ner as to cause certain stitches of one color that the number of feeds and corresponding to appear on the surface of the fabric of the sets of cams may be increased or diminished prevailing color, the result being a fabric of without departing from the limits of my in- 9c 0 one color having on its surface a dot or point vention, provided the needles be caused by made up of the stitch of the other color. the relative arrangements and adjustments The invention also consists in the details of ofthe cams, as more fully described hereinconstructiOn and combination of parts hereafter, to cast their stitches at the proper times inafter described and claimed. to cause the color-stitch to, appear on the sur- 5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is face of the fabric to form the dot.

a vertical sectional elevation of the upper por- It will also be understood that the needles tion of a knitting-machine having my invenof different form are to be arranged in altertion embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan nating series, the number of needles in each view of the dial-plate, showing the connecseries depending upon the character or style 10c tions for adjusting the dial-cams. Fig. 3 is of the work to be produced. Thus if it be a face view of the dial-plate viewed from bedesired to produce single-stitch dots in the prevailing color single needles of appropriate form to be actuated by the inner cams are located between series or groups of needles of the other form adapted to be operated by the outer cams, the distances between such inter-' spersed needles depending upon the distances at which the dots are to be located apart. If the dots are to be extended in a circular direction two or more of the dot-forming needles are placed together, the result being a suc' cession of dots in close relation to each other, from which it will be understood that if a sufficient number of these needles be placed together a circular stripe or line will be formed, the length of which will be determined by the number of needles used.

In applying my invention-to a machine of this nature I mount the throw-out cams 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the inner cams so that they maybe projected to cause the needles actuated thereby to knit off, or be retracted to cause the needles to tuck as desired, and I further provide for the alternate adjustment or movement-of certain of the inner cams to cause the needles to tuck and knit off at the proper times to form a dot or a stripe, as above explained. Each of the throw-out cams of the inner set is pivoted at one end; to the dial-plate, the two opposite cams 12 and 16 being provided with vertical upwardly-projectingstuds 20 and 21, which extend through slots in the dial-plate to the outside. The stud of the cam 16 is connected by -a link 22 to one end of a horizontal lever 23', pivoted at its center to the upper side of the dial-plate, the opposite end of the lever being pivoted to arod 24, which extends laterally and is connected to the upper end of an elbow-lever 25, arranged to operate by a pattern-chain 26 in the usual manner. The stud of the cam 12 is connected by a link 27 to the rod 24 at a point a slight distance from the end of the lever 23. As a result of this arrangement, the cams may bemoved out or in by the. endwise movement of the rod, the studs moving from one end of the slots to the other, according to the direction in which the rod is moved. The remainingcams of the inner series are connected by links 28 to a ring 29, which is suitably mounted in the dialplate to oscillate to a limited extent with respect to the same. The ring is provided with an upwardly-projecting stud 30, extending through a slot in the dial-plate, which stud is connected by a rod 31 to an elbow-lever 32, arranged to be operated in e the customary manner by a pattern-chain 33. 1

Under the foregoing construction, by properly constructing the pattern-chain, I am enabled to operate the cams Hand 16 and the remaining cams separately and alternately, and at the proper times to form either a dot or a stripe or plain work, as desired.

The operation of the machine is as follows: If it is desired to form dotted work, the inner cams 12 and 16 are set out to knit off, the remaining inner cams being set to tuck. Of

dots in the course.

the inner or throw-out cams of the outer series those (12 and 16 opposite the cams 12 and 16 are set in to tuck. The yarn of the prevailin g color is introduced at all the feeds with the exception of those corresponding to cams 12 and 16,'a't which poiutsyarn of the color to form the dot is fed. The parts being in this position and single needles adapted to be actuated by the inner cams being located at intervals between the needles actuated by the outer cams, a single revolution of the machine will produce the following operation: A needle in passing cam 12 and the threetuckingcams will take, in addition to the color-stitch received at cam 12, three other stitches and on arriving at knitting-off cam 16 will take on a second color-stitch and cast the four stitches it had, the first stitch taken on at 12 appearing on the surface of the fabric as a dot. In passing the other three tucking-cams it will take three more stitches: and when itarrives at cam 12 again will take another colorstitchand cast the other four, that taken on at 16 appearing 011 the surface as a dot, in a manner similar to the first stitch. It will of course be understood that each successive needle of the dot-forming needles will be operated in like manner to form a succession of When the machine has completed a single revolution, the pattern chain will operate to project the throw-out cams 13, 14, 15, 17, 1S and 19 and cause them to knit off and will retract the cams 12 and 16 to cause them to tuck, in which positions the machine will knit plain work-that is,

work of one color in contradistinction to dotted Work-as long asthe rotation of the cylinder and dial is continued.

If it is desired to stripe vertically or longitudinally, the cams are left in the first position, (that for the dot,) and the machine being rotated continuously the dots will be formed onebeneath another and all close together, so as to join one another and appear as a vertical or'longitudinal stripe, the pattern-chain being constructed for this purpose. The outside tucking-cams before alluded to (12 and 16") are not changed in position, but

remain the same either for dot work, stripe work or plain work. The remaining outside cams may, howeveiybe adjusted to knit off or tuck, the essential requirement being that.

when a dot or stripe is to be formed the out side cams,'which correspond in position to the feeds which lay into the needles the dot color, will tuck, it being understood that when the outer needles take the dot color they must cast it off so as to hide it beneath the prevailing color, which they do when tucked, as set forth.

The polka-dot may be made of any size desired, the Width depending only on the num- "ber of needles used and its length on the number of revolutions of the machine before the cams 12 and 10 are changed.

Having thus described my invention, what I elaim isring mounted in the dial-plate, links connecting the remaining cams of the inner set to the ring, and means for oscillating the ring.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 14th day of May, 1894, in the pres ence of two attesting Witnesses.

FRANK A. NYE. WVitnesses:

J OHN G. BREWIN, JOSEPH B. GODSHALL. 

